BERLIN, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- German carmaker BMW Group registered an increase of 1.3 percent in sales in the first three quarters of 2018, despite the European Union's new emissions standards that came into effect on Sept. 1.

According to the data released on Friday, the Munich-based group delivered 1,834,810 cars globally in the first nine months.

"In the face of a combination of exceptional challenges, we have achieved a steady sales result," said Pieter Nota, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Sales and Brand BMW.

"The third quarter in Europe was significantly affected by market distortions caused by the introduction of the new WLTP testing procedure at the beginning of September," Nota continued.

In September, the BMW Group sold 237,781 cars around the world, 0.8 percent fewer than the same period last year. In Europe, the sales were more steeply down by 4.9 percent.

However, BMW's results still beat its rivals'. Audi's deliveries in Europe, for example, plummeted by 56 percent in September, while Mercedes-Benz sales slipped 9.4 percent.

"As we planned well ahead for the WLTP changeover, virtually all our current models are WLTP type-approved and available for delivery," Nota said.

"One very positive aspect of our sales performance continues to be the growth in electrified vehicles. September was our best-ever single month for electrified sales and with deliveries up over 40 percent in the year to date, we remain well on track to achieve our target of 140,000 electrified sales by the end of the year," Nota concluded.